e’re on our third summer in the Greek
islands and I’m starting to get confused
by all these Greek island names. We’ve
been to Paxos, Paros and Poros, and even
now we can see Patmos to the west of us
but the wind is up so, sadly, we won’t be
heading there. We’ve also been to Serifos,
Samos and Sifnos, whilst Symi is south of
here, but more of that later. The other night, as I was trying to get to
sleep, I attempted to remember the names of all of the Greek islands we’ve
visited so far, and there were more than 40 of them! Since then I’ve dropped
this amazing fact into a number of conversations with Greek people and not
one of them has visited as many! Whilst it’s sometimes difficult to remember
the name of each island, especially as some, like Zakynthos/Zante/Xanthe, have
more than one name and most (Kefalonia, Kephalonia, Cefalonia, Cephalonia)
have several different spellings, it’s easy to remember the individual places, as
each and every one has a different character and ambiance. We’re due in Kos in
a few days; at least, when it comes to the name, they keep things simple there!
One thing that all of the Dodecanese isles we’ve visited so far have in
common is the wind. It seems to come from just about every direction, and
anchorages that look on the charts as though they will afford fabulous shelter
turn out to be far more exposed than anticipated. As we arrive in Leros we
investigate a deep bay on the northern shore, but although the shelter isn’t
bad, the environment is surprisingly bland and, with guests on board, we
are confident that we can find somewhere better for them.EXPLORING LEROS
A few miles on and the main town comes into sight. This is definitely more
attractive. There is a fortification crowning the hilltop and then a row of
windmills lined up above a pretty, typically Greek town, which sprawls on
either side of the isthmus separating the promontory from the rest of the
island. Even here it takes a while to find a sheltered anchorage; you’d think that
one side or the other would be out of the wind, but no, it’s more katabatic than
coastal, and whistles down the hillside. Eventually we find a spot a short
distance from the town and what joy! With Frank’s 19-year-old grandson on
board, I am spared the swim and simply direct from the cockpit as Ben makes
for the beach with our ropes, where he finds suitable rocks for tying them to.
In the evening, we take the dinghy ashore and wander along the waterside.
There isn’t much here, so we decide that the action must be on the other side
of the hill and off we go, making the steep ascent and then the far easier
descent that will take us to the opposite shore. There isn’t much here either,
to be honest, but we find a restaurant on the beach and dine with the waves
lapping just a couple of feet away from our toes...beautiful. The idea of
retracing our steps is daunting, so there is a universal sigh of relief when
the waiter offers to call a taxi for us, and any thought
of walking off the meal is abandoned!
Ben and Nancy’s holiday finishes in Kos, whilst
we have an enforced stay in the island whilst the
thrusters, which suddenly stopped working a fortnight
ago, are attended to. This is a painfully convoluted
process, as the entire system has to be sent back to the
manufacturers in Italy, leaving Zaffina immobile until
their return. Frank is constantly on the phone, trying
to speed up the process, but it takes two whole weeks
before the parts are finally returned and refitted to the
boat. During that time, we spend a few days in a hotel
(beautiful rooms and environment, great staff, rubbish
food...no worries about my diet here!) and then
explore the island from the land, finding beautiful
stretches of natural sandy beach, far from the crowded,
noisy resorts we had anticipated.TURKEYGREECENKosBodrumFrom
Leros
DatçaSymiKOSDODECANESESymi
PediSt Michael
Monastery
From/toKosSYMInautical miles(^051015)